As you might have guessed, this post will be about the benefits of weight training exercises . Weight training has such an amount of benefits that it’s worth writing about it. As painful as weight training can be, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a ton. In this post I will describe 10 benefits of weight training. There are more then just 10 benefits, but I though it would be worth mentioning these.
1. Muscle growth
I think the first benefit coming in mind when talking about the benefits of weight training is muscle growth. When you’re training with weights you’ll grow muscles. I bet you’re asking yourself right now; okay, what’s good about growing muscles. Let me tell you. Growing muscles mean you need to sustain those muscles, and having a somewhat muscular body will raise your metabolism. And as you could have read an earlier post, having a higher metabolism will help you burn more calories.
2. Burn calories
Just now I told you that having a somewhat muscular body will raise your metabolism thus burn more calories. This is an indirect way of burning calories. There is also a direct way of burning calories while doing your weight training exercises. During your exercises you’ll have to lift, pull and push weights. Doing all that will cost a lot of energy if you’re doing it right. Spending energy equals to burning calories. So weight training will burn calories directly and indirectly.
3. Performance
Weight training will cause your muscles to grow and get stronger. And having stronger muscles will enhance your performance no matter what sport or exercise you’re doing. It’s logical that different sports require you to train different muscles, and by training the right muscles, your performance will increase drastically.
4. Bone density
People that are not really active can have a decreased bone density. A lower bone density can lead to more frequent bone fractures. The same goes for aged people. The older you are, the lower the density of your bones are. By doing weight training exercises you will increase the bone density thus have a lower chance of bone fractures. Even if you’re a bit older, doing exercises will help you out.
5. Both women and men
Often women think that weight training will cause them look like a pile of muscle walking around. But that’s not the case. Testosterone is a very important factor when you’re growing muscles, and women have a low level of this hormone in their body. Having this low level of testosterone will prevent (most) women from having a bulky body. There are exceptions of course.
6. Immune system
Working out will increase you immune system and will help you fight those nasty diseases more easily. Be careful though. Working out intensively and not getting enough rest will depress your immune system and you’ll be more vulnerable to diseases.
7. Recovery
Injuries can happen to anyone. And everyone would like to recover from that injury as soon as possible. By having stronger muscles, you will recover from injuries faster than people that have weaker muscles then you. It’s not a coincidence that athletes and top entertainers heal from injuries at a remarkable rate. It’s quite often that I hear that a wrestler has healed from an injury in 3-4 months where the doctors had predicted a recovery time of 12 months.
8. Preventing injuries
Just now I mentioned that injuries can happen to anyone. Even to most muscular people get injuries once a while. But having stronger muscles will prevent a wide variety of injuries, be it sport of life related. Having stronger muscles mean that you can take more of a “punishment”.
9. Heart rate
Weight training exercises will help you lower your heart rate. Having a lower heart rate means you have a healthier and more efficient heart. Your heath will pump more blood with fewer heartbeats.
10. Self-esteem
Last but not least, we got self-esteem. All the hard training will finally pay off, and when it does you feel not only look better, but also feel better. You will be more confident and it will elevate your mood.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Very nice article. I believe number 10 about self esteem is one of the most important. Having self esteem can bring a person a long way in life.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I think after all, the main reason you’re working out is to boost your self-esteem
May 1st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I’m not going to lie - I’ve been through a rough few months emotionally, and I think my lack of working out has been a huge factor. I haven’t had time - and now I realize that I’m going to have to make time to workout. Mainly for reasons 1, 2, 3, and 6, although they’re all pretty important.
And it’s a great post you’ve written there Namli, keep up the good work!